The Confrontation
1826 Words
“Well, well, well… look what the wind dragged in. What are you doing here, Evelyn? Looking for a handout?”
Evelyn met Tessa's gaze, refusing to waver. “I’m here to see Ethan’s parents. I’m his fiancée.”
For a moment, Tessa just stared before throwing her head back in a fit of mocking laughter. “You? Ethan’s fiancée? Oh, that’s rich! Just drop the act, Evelyn. We both know why you’re really here.”
“I’m not joking.” Evelyn held up her left hand, flashing the engagement ring.
The amusement on Tessa’s face instantly vanished, replaced by sheer disgust. Her jaw clenched, and her eyes darkened.
“How low can you possibly go, Evelyn?” she sneered.
Evelyn folded her arms. “I don’t have time for this. Just let me in.”
But Tessa stepped in front of her, blocking the doorway. “You disgust me, Evelyn. How could you be so shameless? You couldn’t keep Caleb, so you decided to seduce his older brother? Just so you could claw your way into this family and stay close to Caleb? Pathetic.”
Before Evelyn could respond, a familiar voice called out from inside.
“Babe, who’s at the door?”
Her stomach twisted. She knew that voice.
Tessa smirked and called back, “Why don’t you come and see for yourself?”
Footsteps echoed through the hallway before Caleb emerged.
Evelyn’s breath hitched. He looked different from the last time she’d seen him—his features sharper, his body more defined. A short beard framed his strong jaw, and his toned physique was visible through his fitted white t-shirt.
But it wasn’t his appearance that made her chest tighten—it was the way he wrapped his arms around Tessa’s waist, pressing a soft kiss to her temple like she was the most precious thing in the world.
They looked perfect together. A match made in heaven.
And it took her three years to realize it.
Caleb turned his gaze to Evelyn, blinking as if trying to place her. Then, his lips curled slightly. “Who’s she? A new maid?”
Tessa let out a laugh. “No, babe, she’s not a maid. She’s your ex-wife.”
Caleb frowned. “Ex-wife? What are you talking about? I was never married before. Be serious, Tessa.”
“Oh, come on, Caleb. You remember her—Evelyn, the substitute bride. The one you married while I was… missing. My stepsister.”
Recognition flashed across his face, followed by indifference. “Oh, right. I almost forgot about her.” He turned to Evelyn, his expression void of any emotion. “You do know you were just a stand-in, right? You were never really my wife.”
A lump formed in Evelyn’s throat, but she forced herself to stay composed.
Tessa smirked. “Of course, we both know Caleb only married you to save my reputation. Thank you for that, by the way.”
Evelyn clenched her fists. Right in front of her, they were referring to her as a maid, substitute and a stand-in, treating her like nothing. Like she never mattered.
If only she knew this was the embarrassment she was going to face, she wouldn't have agreed to meet Ethan's parents.
And as if they hadn’t humiliated her enough, Caleb continued.
“So, Eva, how’s life been? What brings you here though?”
“It’s Evelyn,” she snapped, her patience wearing thin. “And I’m here because I’m engaged to Ethan.”
Caleb raised an eyebrow. “My brother?”
“Mom did say Ethan was bringing home a fiancée, but I didn’t expect you,” he mused, shaking his head. “Small world. How did you two even meet?”
Tessa scoffed. “Oh, it’s not a coincidence. She must have seduced Ethan just like she tried to do with you. It’s what women like her do—just like her mother did to my father. I guess it runs in their blood.”
Evelyn’s entire body went rigid.
“That’s enough, Tessa. I would not stand here and watch you insult my mother,” she warned, her voice dangerously low.
Tessa folded her arms. “Or what? What are you going to do?”
“Don’t test me. And you, Caleb, how could you stand here and utter such nonsense about me when I still have the scars from the burns I suffered due to the hot coffee you threw on me?”
But Caleb wasn’t finished. “You’re still hung up on the past, aren’t you? It’s been two years, Evelyn. Move on. Don’t you believe in ‘forgive and forget’?” He let out a chuckle. “I know I have. In fact…” He turned to Tessa and placed a hand over her stomach. “We’re expecting.”
Evelyn’s breath caught in her throat. “You’re… pregnant?”
Tessa’s hand caressed her barely visible bump as she beamed. “Two months along.”
Evelyn felt her world spin. *
‘They’re having a baby. They’re starting a family.’
And her life? A broken mess.
Still, she forced a smile. “Congratulations.”
“Aw, look, babe,” Tessa cooed. “She’s about to cry. Must be tears of joy—after all, she’s going to be an aunt.”
Caleb chuckled. “Yeah, but we should get going. We have an appointment with the doctor.”
“You go ahead,” Tessa said. “I need a quick chat with my ‘dear stepsister’.”
Caleb kissed her cheek. “Don’t be long.” With that, he walked toward his car.
As soon as he was gone, Tessa’s expression darkened.
“Listen to me carefully,” she hissed, stepping closer. “If you think I’m going to let you live peacefully, you’re dead wrong.”
Evelyn squared her shoulders. “What are you going to do, Tessa?”
Tessa smirked. “Something you won’t see coming. If you have even an ounce of shame left, you’ll end this ridiculous engagement and leave. You don't want that person finding out that you're back in the country.”
Evelyn’s blood ran cold. She knew exactly who Tessa was referring to.
Her stepmother.
The same woman who forced her into a marriage with Caleb. The one who discarded her like trash when she was no longer useful. If she found out she had returned…
“I didn’t plan this,” Evelyn tried to explain. “I didn’t even know Ethan was Caleb’s brother until—”
“Save it,” Tessa snapped. “You expect me to believe this was all a coincidence? Please. You wanted this. You’ve always wanted what’s mine. I bet you planned to marry Ethan and try to seduce Caleb so you could ruin my marriage.”
Evelyn exhaled sharply, feeling the weight of her fury and humiliation pressing down on her.
She had suffered enough.
And she wasn’t going to let them win.
As Tessa turned to leave, she threw one last smirk over her shoulder. “This isn’t over, Evelyn. You will regret coming back. Goodbye s**t, until next time, that is, if you're still alive.”
And then, Tessa disappeared.
Evelyn sank to the floor, tears streaming from her eyes and her body trembling with a mix of humiliation and fury. The day had unraveled in ways she never expected—from Ethan’s deception to the merciless humiliation inflicted by Tessa and Caleb.
Her mind raced. Now that Tessa knew she was back, it was only a matter of time before her stepmother found out as well. And once she did, there was no doubt she would make her life even more unbearable.
Evelyn needed protection. Someone powerful enough to shield her from her stepmother’s schemes. But more than that, she wanted revenge.
Not just against her stepmother, but against all of them—Tessa and Caleb. These people had orchestrated her misery from the beginning.
Tessa had insulted her, ridiculed her, and smeared her mother’s name. Caleb had discarded her like trash, never once acknowledging the pain he had put her through. And her stepmother? She had used Evelyn as a pawn, only to cast her aside when she was no longer useful.
They had all made her suffer. Now, it was their turn.
A cold determination settled in Evelyn’s chest. She wiped her tears, squared her shoulders, and rose to her feet. She would not be the weak, helpless woman they had once controlled.
With a burning thirst for revenge, she stepped inside the house and found Ethan waiting in the living room. He stood up as soon as he saw her, relief flashing in his eyes.
“You came,” he said. “I was worried you had changed your mind and left.”
Evelyn took a deep breath, steadying herself. “I did have a change of heart,” she admitted. “But not in the way you think. There’s something I need to tell you before we meet your parents.”
Ethan frowned slightly. “What is it?”
She met his gaze head-on, a confident smile playing on her lips. “I’ve decided to go through with the wedding. I’m not calling it off.”
Ethan froze, his expression shifting from disbelief to joy. “Really? You’re giving me another chance?”
She nodded.
He let out a breath of relief, a wide smile breaking across his face. “Thank you, Evelyn. But why? After everything… why are you still willing to marry me?”
Evelyn hesitated for only a second before answering, her voice soft yet firm. “I thought about it, and I realized that, in your own way, you were trying to protect me. If you had told me the truth from the start, I don’t think I would have been able to handle it. What you don’t know, Ethan is that before I met you, I tried to end my own life. But I survived, and meeting you helped me heal. You gave me hope when I had none left. I owe you for that.”
Ethan’s eyes darkened with emotion. He reached for her, pulling her into a tight embrace. “You have no idea how much this means to me. I promise, Evelyn, you won’t regret this.”
Evelyn closed her eyes, allowing herself to sink into his warmth. But deep inside, she knew the truth.
She wasn’t doing this for love.
She wasn’t doing this for Ethan.
She was doing this for herself.
This marriage was her shield. Her weapon. Her way of ensuring that Tessa, Caleb, and her stepmother would never be able to control her again.
They had torn her apart. Now, she would make them pay.
‘Caleb. Tessa. Mrs. Hayes.’
‘You have no idea what’s coming.’
Evelyn Hayes was back. And this time, she wasn’t here to be anyone’s pawn.
She was here to win.
- Writer
